Born Oct 17, 1945 to the late Rodney T. Trask and Harriet A. Schneider Trask of Taft, California. He was preceded in death by his sister Kathryn L. Swackhamer. Richard leaves his two sisters Mary Francis Hall of Jackson, CA and Patricia A Kirby of Tucson, AZ, his children, Lisa A. Trask and Adam T Trask with their mother Chrys Simons of San Bernardino, CA along with Sarah A Trask and her mother Susan Charles both of Long Beach, CA.

Dr. Trask graduated from T.U.H.S. in 1964 graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and School of Optometry and began his practice of optometry in 1972. He has maintained successful private practices in seventeen years California and seven years Alabama. His experience also includes a number of years of clinical work in a major medical university and ophthalmology clinic in California as well as an administrator and clinical instructor for the University of Alabama, Birmingham, School of Optometry. He has worked as adjunct clinical faculty through externship programs of Southern College of Optometry, Illinois college of Optometry, University of Montreal School of Optometry, and clinical instructor for the Southern California College of Optometry. Dr. Trask had experience working with Native American populations and Hispanics. Dr. Trask has fulfilled international, national, and Alabama requirements for the treatment of external eye disease and recognition of internal eye disease. He was a diplomat of the National Board of Examiners of Optometry and has maintained membership in the American Optometric Association for over 25 years. Dr. Trask also completed a master’s degree program in Health Services Administration. Dr. Trask enjoyed his clinical work, his patients, and found fulfilling their needs and caring for their vision to be a very satisfying daily experience.

Dr. Trask’s zest for life and love for sports especially motor cycle racing will be missed by many at the track. Dr. Trask’s famous apple pies will be missed, nobody could make an apple pie better then him, “it’s in the way you layer the apples.”

Memorial services will be held graveside at West Side Cemetery in Taft, California Tuesday November 3, 2009 at 10AM. In lieu of flowers the family asks you make donations to the diabetes foundation dedicated to the research and cure of glaucoma in his name.